Ontario Premier Doug Ford shared a dramatic encounter with a suspected shoplifter this summer, using it to call for stronger bail laws and tougher action against repeat offenders.
Speaking at the Empire Club in Toronto, Ford recounted leaving his police detail to buy plants at a Home Depot before a scheduled visit by Prime Minister Mark Carney. He noticed a man exiting the store with two backpacks, trailed briefly by security staff who then stopped, reportedly following instructions not to intervene in such situations.
Ford said he confronted the man in the parking lot, demanding he open the bag. When the individual refused, Ford told the audience, “I said, buddy, ‘I’m going to kick your ass all over the parking lot, show me what’s in your bag.’” The man eventually revealed a saw blade, which store management confirmed had been stolen.
Ford said he warned the man again. “Then I went on to tell him, if I ever see him in the parking lot, he’s going to get a beating like he’s never got before,” Ford said. “But that’s what you have to do.”
